Bolt killed 41-year-old man as he packed minivan in raging storm.

Despite criticism of its 10- to 15-minute warning of a looming storm, Pocono Raceway is defending the safety measures it took before Sunday's weather cut a NASCAR race short and killed a fan in a lightning strike.

The track released a statement Monday expressing sympathy for the family of Brian Zimmerman, the 41-year man who was killed, and insisting Pocono Raceway is committed to fan safety.

"We work in conjunction with NASCAR regarding safety of fans, teams and other attendees throughout the course of our race weekends," the statement says. "Additionally, we are in constant communication with local and national agencies regarding weather conditions and emergency services.…

"We will learn from the incident and continue to implement strategies to help ensure the safety of fans and all attendees at future events at Pocono Raceway."

By the time Zimmerman and his friends started packing their minivan to leave the racetrack on Sunday, a storm was raging, putting the group in danger. A warning of the storm had come 45 minutes earlier.

The worst happened: A lightning bolt struck their minivan, killing Zimmerman, of Moosic, Lackawanna County. In all, 10 people were injured in two separate strikes.

Zimmerman, a husband and father of three, became the second lightning fatality in Pennsylvania this year. On July 24, a pregnant Amish woman, Mary Yoder, was struck while picking berries in Garret, Somerset County. Yoder and her unborn child died.

Four people were hospitalized last week after being struck by lightning while huddled under an umbrella on the beach at Wildwood, N.J. Every year, dozens of Americans die in lightning strikes, though the tolls vary widely.

In 2006, there were 48 deaths in 24 states. Last year, there were 26 fatalities in 18 states. So far this year, there have been 19 deaths in 14 states. Texas has the most, with three, followed by Pennsylvania, Alabama and Mississippi with two each.

In the wake of Zimmerman's death, questions have been raised about whether the racetrack gave fans enough warning to exit the track safely.

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 4:12 p.m. Sunday, and fans were warned at 4:21 p.m. through Facebook and Twitter postings that said severe thunderstorms with "high winds and lightning" would arrive within 10-15 minutes. A similar announcement was made over the track's public address system.

But some fans said it was too loud to hear the warning. Chad Philistine of Reading, who took his mother to the race, told the Associated Press that when the start was delayed because of an earlier storm, they heard an announcement advising fans to take refuge in their cars.

The race wasn't called due to weather until 4:50 p.m. The lightning strike that killed Zimmerman happened 11 minutes later.

The raceway's 15-minute warning likely wasn't enough time for fans to make it to their cars, said Mike Smith, senior vice president of AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions, based in Wichita, Kan. Smith's company tracks lightning and sends alerts to its client, like Kansas Speedway. It touts a 93 percent accuracy rating for lightning warnings within 30 minutes of a strike.

"I would personally like to see all the NASCAR facilities go to something like this," Smith said. "We know how to issue warnings. We know how to keep people safe."

Zimmerman collapsed and could not be revived despite the efforts of an off-duty paramedic and raceway firefighters who were nearby and witnessed the strike, according to the Monroe County coroner and raceway officials. He was treated at the racetrack's infield hospital before being taken to Pocono Medical Center in East Stroudsburg, where he was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. by an emergency room doctor.

The cause and manner of Zimmerman's death will have to be confirmed by autopsy but will likely be ruled an accident due to lightning, Coroner Robert Allen said. Except for one of Zimmerman's friends, who has been upgraded from critical to stable condition at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, all have been released from area hospitals.

Regardless of whether someone is at the beach, a sporting event or just in their backyard, the best rule of thumb is to start heading inside at the first rumble of thunder, AccuWeather.com meteorologist Andy Mussoline said.

"It might not even look that threatening outside," Mussoline said. "But there could be lightning strikes well ahead of any rainfall or even the most dangerous-looking clouds."

National Weather Service meteorologist Anthony Gigi said people too often think they have enough time to react to a looming storm, putting themselves in danger by staying outside.

"If you're close enough to hear thunder, you're close enough to get struck by lightning," he said. "Just get indoors. Just get out of the way."